Overview
- Google rolled the flight simulator into the Google Earth web app as an experimental feature that users can open from the Explore/Tools menu.
- Flights use streamed high-resolution satellite and 3D building imagery to create a photorealistic view that can degrade if you fly fast or have a slow internet connection.
- Controls are simple and keyboard-driven with arrow keys for pitch and yaw and Page Up/Page Down for speed, and the simulator pauses and offers to reset the aircraft after a crash.
- Google frames the mode as a casual exploration tool rather than a high-fidelity training simulator and it is not a replacement for dedicated products like Microsoft Flight Simulator or X‑Plane.
- The feature expands a long-hidden desktop Easter egg from 2007 into a web-accessible tool that removes installation and high-end GPU requirements and could lead to future app support or further development.